Scania reaches milestone

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Scania reaches milestone: 250,000 connected vehicles Connectivity has been an integral part of Scania’s customer offering for many years. As Scania launches a new connectivity offering, the number of connected Scania vehicles has reached a quarter of a million, which equates to two-thirds of Scania’s 5-year rolling fleet.

“The world of heavy transport stands on the brink of a fundamental shift towards sustainable transport. Digitalisation and connectivity will play a pivotal role in enabling this shift,” says Henrik Henriksson, president and CEO of Scania.

With the aim of leading the shift towards sustainable transport systems, Scania has outlined a strategy that focuses on greater energy efficiency, smarter and safer transport, and the increased utilisation of alternative renewable fuels.

One key is connectivity, which Scania pioneered as a standard feature. Today more than 50,000 Scania customers globally benefit from in-depth data on fleet performance.

“We continue to get a growing share of our revenue from connectivity and other new areas. This past year we saw about 5% of our top line directly or indirectly depending on connected vehicles,” says Henriksson.

Through connectivity there is great potential to eliminate waste in the transport system, and ensure the highest uptime. This is essential in an industry where a truck off the road for a few days can impact on a customer’s earnings. The right combination of connected services can also help reduce fuel costs, which usually constitute one-third of transport company expenditure.

In addition, with a connected fleet, there is enormous potential for finding efficiency gains in construction, public transport and forestry. Scania uses real time data to get the most out of each vehicle. Irrespective of whether it is keeping a long haul truck on the road as many days as possible, understanding the logistics of a large scale construction site, or optimising public transport systems in large cities, connectivity and data analysis helps deliver the best possible transport service for each customer.

Autonomous technology where Scania also collaborates with communications technology giant Ericsson on enhancing wireless communication between heavy vehicles is another area making fast progress. The possibilities offered in the autonomous space will grow further as the 5G networks that Ericsson is developing will be deployed. Scania has recently been awarded a project to design the world’s first full-scale autonomous truck platooning operation in Singapore. With reliable inter-communications between trucks and buses, distances between vehicles can be safely reduced, reducing drag and lowering fuel consumption. Connectivity also enables real-time updates on weather conditions, obstacles on the road, and other hazards that might pose a safety risks.

Scania is now further developing its efficiency enhancing services through the open, non-proprietary Scania One, with a platform for existing and coming Scania services and external content. It provides a comprehensive gateway to all presently available and coming services in the device of choice, mobile or stationary.